


healing memories

by Shaxza



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Apologies, Childhood Memories, Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Parent(s), Mourning, Sokka is a good brother, just after southern raiders, just feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaxza/pseuds/Shaxza
Summary: Katara visits her brother the night she returns from her personal mission. They share memories of their childhood, both happy and sad.
Relationships: Hakoda & Katara & Kya & Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda & Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Kya (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Kya & Sokka (Avatar)
Kudos: 21





	healing memories

Katara doesn’t know what compelled her to stand in front of Sokka’s tent in the darkness of that night. That’s a lie, actually, she does. It’s the overwhelming guilt eating at her stomach for yelling awful things to him days prior. 

Well, now she’s confronted the man that took her – their – mother away from her – them...she was from the both of them. All she has left to do is talk to her brother.

Katara takes a deep breath of the cold air and enters his tent. To nobody’s surprise, Sokka is fast asleep, snoring as loud as a moose-bear. She creeps up to his side and looks at his face. Even though there’s drool coming out of his mouth, he looks at peace. 

“Sokka,” Katara whispers. 

No response.

She leans in closer to his face. “Sokka,” she whispers louder.

Her brother stirs in his sleep. “Shhhhhh,” he says. “Prince Sokka...needs...sleepsies.”

That’s it. Katara gently slaps his cheek repeatedly until Sokka frantically wakes up. Quicker than she could have imagined, Katara finds that he’s pointing the tip of his sword directly at her neck.

“Sokka! It’s me!” she quickly says.

“What the hell – Katara?” His eyes must have finally adjusted and too does his demeanour. Sokka shrinks and his voice falls. “What’s wrong?”

Katara wants to spill all her thoughts to him. How angry she is at herself for hurting her only brother. She wants to cry about the events she went through with that monster. Instead, Katara’s reminded of a memory.

“Remember...Remember when the village was celebrating  Uki’s birthday? It had to be, like, seven years ago.” Her eyes fall to the hands resting on her lap. “We were all meant to wake up early for the chores.”

“Yeah, and you and Mom dumped snow in my bag while I was still sleeping? I remember it,” Sokka says, tone laced with salt. “My bag didn’t dry for three days. I had to share with Dad.”

“That’s because you didn’t get up and help,” Katara argues, looking at her brother who is pouting like he is still eight. 

“I could have died!”

“You’re so melodramatic, Sokka,” Katara chastises. “Besides, it was Mom’s idea.”

He shimmies further away from Katara, to her confusion at first, but things are made crystal clear when he lifts up his blanket, inviting her to sit next to him. Katara accepts his offer.

They sit in silence for a bit, neither too sure how to segue into the next topic of conversation. Those thoughts creep back up in Katara’s mind, but they’re soon put to rest when Sokka speaks again.

“I remember the meal Mom and Dad made for me on my fifth birthday,” he says fondly. “You were too young to have it, but it was like this...this mixture of really tasty seal jerky and hen. There were loads of other meats as well and the best part was that there were no vegetables.”

Katara giggles and says sarcastically, “What a nutritious meal for a growing boy.” 

“Indeed, it wasn’t, little sister. You wish you were my age when you were four. I remember that it was hard to chew but the taste of the fried blubber, oh my,” Sokka swoons. “It was worth the pain on my teeth.”

“You know, talking about seal jerky reminds me of when you tried to hunt with the men,” Katara recollects. 

“That happened?”

“Yeah! I remember it so well because your face looked so ugly when you cried  ‘cause Dad said no,” she laughs. “I never saw that much snot come out of someone’s nose before.”

“Yeah, well something must have convinced you to not be a total bully because I’m remembering that you helped me sneak on Dad’s boat that day,” Sokka retorts back. “And then it was you who was ugly crying when Mom and Dad told you off.”

Katara angrily folds her arms and looks away. “That was so unfair, all you got was a slap on the wrist for nearly dying while I had to clean the hens’ pen.”

“I feel like there’s a common theme with me nearly dying here,” Sokka observes. 

“You were always so reckless and I had to be the one to stop you from being a hazard to  yourself .”

“Don’t act like you were always innocent, Katara.”

They continue their back and forth for what feels like forever. They both get lost in their shared memories from their childhood when things were happy. With each moment recalled, it’s like a weight is lifted off their chests. 

When Katara shuffles closer to Sokka, he starts sputtering. 

“Hair in my mouth,  ew ,” Sokka spits dramatically. 

They both adjust themselves so Sokka isn’t getting a mouthful of Katara’s hair as a midnight snack. 

“Is that better for you, Prince Sokka?” she jabs playfully.

“As a matter of fact, it is,” Sokka says, pleased. “Speaking of your hair, do you ever plan on cutting it? You don’t want it to get caught or anything.”

Katara hums. Her fingers find themselves tangling her long strands. “I don’t think I will. I - I actually wanted to do something with my hair.” Should she be saying this?

“What is it?”

She exhales. “I wanted to style it like Mom’s but...I forgot what her hair looked like.”

Sokka shrinks up again. The atmosphere becomes colder and emptier somehow. Her brother looks knee-deep in thought. It's as though he’s waging war with his emotions.

“Katara...I won’t be able to help you with that...” Sokka voice sounds deeply upset and Katara knows why. “I...” 

“I know, Sokka,” Katara whispers.

Sokka looks at her, puzzled. 

“I overheard you speak with Toph,” she explains. “I didn’t say that because I wanted you to remember for me.”

“Then...why?”

Katara sighs again, trying to find the strength to continue her sentence. “You were right. She was your mother too and what I said to you a few days ago – it wasn’t right and I’m sorry.”

“Katara, it’s okay-”

“No, it’s not, Sokka,” Katara says firmly, voice wavering.

Sokka holds her shoulders gently and looks her in the eye. Tears well in his own.

“Katara,” he says quietly. “You grew up so fast for me. All this time in the last four years, you had so much strength to keep me in check when Dad was gone. You cared for me like you were Mom. You didn’t have the time to be upset about her death. Neither of us really mourned her either, so I get why you said those things to me.”

The tears finally trickle down Katara’s cheeks. “Don’t act as if you weren’t there, Sokka.” Her voice is shaking, nearly broken. “Don’t act like you didn’t see her body.”

Sokka tenses up momentarily before relaxing again. “I was there...but even still, you saved me. You saved all of us. I don’t know what we would have done without you. And you even stood up to the bastard who took Mom away from us.”

Katara snivels and Sokka brings her near, wrapping his arms around her.

“I mean it when I say that you’re the best sister ever. I love you.”

They both pull away from each other. Katara stares at her brother’s face for moments on end. 

“Being around you hasn’t made moving on any easier,” she says.

Sokka, again, looks puzzled.

Katara chuckles sadly, tears pouring down her face once more. “ Y’know , you look exactly like her.”

Sokka laughs sadly too. That laughter quickly turns into quiet sobs and he’s clutching his hair. The two siblings embrace each other, staying close together that night as they let their broken hearts slowly heal.

**Author's Note:**

> ayo this one was painful to write. it was based off a tweet that pointed out how sokka looks exactly like his mother and boom, this fic was born. this is my first avatar fic and i hope to write more in the future. i just need my two water tribe kids to be happy, yknow? anyways, i hope you enjoyed reading it :)


End file.
